State Briefs 1/28/08

PEORIA -- A Peoria County jail inmate is complaining about the cleanliness of a plastic spoon, which he is forced to reuse daily.

Lorenzo Mitchell has contacted the jail administrator and the media about what he claims is the neglect of sanitation standards, as well as gather up the signatures of some 60 other inmates who agree with him.

County officials at the jail, however, dismiss Mitchell's complaint - that the flexible, white plastic spoon he eats with daily is dirty and that he's not given the proper means to wash or replace it - saying the institution is clean and in full compliance with the law.

When an inmate first arrives at the jail, he or she is issued one plastic spoon to keep and use at mealtimes during his or her stay. (Forks and knives are not given out for safety reasons.)

Besides keeping track of their utensil, inmates also are responsible for cleaning them, something Mitchell says is not possible. He said inmates have no place to store their spoons and often keep them in their cells wrapped with toilet paper or in their pockets. The water from their bathroom sinks is not hot enough to rinse them, he continued, and the bar soap they use for bathing not effective enough to disinfect the plastic.

Sheriff Mike McCoy said Mitchell's allegations are unfounded. The jail, which books nearly 18,000 people a year, has been handing out plastic spoons for several years, and Mitchell is the first to complain about the policy and link it to illnesses.

Don Cavi, the agency's director of environment health, said he was unaware of the situation at the jail but said the health code typically prohibits food establishments from re-using "single-service articles," such as cups, plates and silverware intended for an one-time, one-person use.

Josh Romney, the middle in age of Mitt Romney's five sons, spoke of campaigning throughout the country with his father and brothers and enforced his father's stance on several major issues.

He said his father would tackle government overspending, fight for tighter border control, put more money toward education, send more troops to Iraq and strengthen family values.

He also spoke of his father's relevant experience with the economy, his ability to balance budgets and the need for a health care reform by private companies.

"He's the guy who will get results, and I can't wait to see what he'll do in Washington," he said. "He will not just talk about problems. He will get things done."

A few hundred people turned out for the event at the Hotel Pere Marquette.

Journal Star, Peoria

Man sentenced to 10 years in attack on Mr. Eggroll owner

SPRINGFIELD -- One of two men accused last winter of beating and robbing the owner of Mr. Eggroll as he delivered food pleaded guilty Monday to armed robbery.

Antonio McNeil, 20, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years of parole, said Gabe Grosboll, assistant state's attorney.

McNeil was with Hurley D. Dunn, 27, on Feb. 9 when Dunn allegedly swung an aluminum bat at the man's head, fracturing his skull. Dunn's case is still pending.

Police said the food order was a set-up. The food was being delivered to an address where neither man lived, and the two attacked the deliveryman when he brought the food, authorities said.

The attack occurred on the sidewalk in front of the building. The two took an undetermined amount of cash.

State Journal-Register

Tax amnesty program for businesses begins this week

SPRINGFIELD -- An amnesty program begins Friday for 25,000 to 30,000 businesses that have fallen behind on state franchise taxes and licensing fees, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has announced.

The office administers the program, which raises about $200 million a year in revenue, an agency spokesman said today.

The amnesty is through March 17 for businesses that are delinquent on annual corporate filing fees and franchise taxes, said Henry Haupt. Amnesty includes taxes, fees, interest and penalties, as well as immunity from civil or criminal prosecution by the Secretary of State's office.

After March 17, the interest rate on delinquent payments doubles from 1 to 2 percent.

“We average about 3,000 corporations a month that are involuntarily dissolved for failure to file annual reports, or to pay the annual franchise tax,” said Haupt. He added that all companies pay a $75 annual filing fee, and the franchise tax ranges from a minimum of $25 a year up to $2 million, depending on the size of the corporation.

While amnesty programs have been offered on state income taxes, Haupt said he believes this is the first time amnesty has been offered for the corporate filing fees and franchise taxes. Companies incorporated in Illinois must report each year, including name, top officers, a registered agent and address, and capitalization costs, including stock issues.

State Journal-Register

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Fermilab furloughs to begin Feb. 1

BATAVIA -- Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Fermilab officials are bracing for both.

Due to the recent budget crisis surrounding Fermilab, director Pier Oddone said beginning Feb. 1, nearly 2,000 employees will have to take rolling unpaid furloughs through September, the end of the fiscal year, unless the $60 million cut from Fermilab’s budget can be restored.

Hourly employees will take two days off without pay per month and salaried employees will take one week off without pay in each two-month period.

Fermi officials said the furloughs will save about the same amount as closing the laboratory for a month.

The budget cuts also mean work on the proposed International Linear Collider, the world’s latest super collider project, which Fermilab had planned to bring to Illinois, has to halt for now. Particle physicists from around the world have proposed the collider as the world’s next large particle accelerator.

Layoffs of at least 200 Fermi employees could also be coming, Oddone said.

Chicago Suburban

Former Chicago DJ says he didn’t try to have sex with teen

DUPAGE COUNTY -- A former Chicago disc jockey pleaded not guilty Monday to soliciting a 13-year-old over the Internet.

Michael “Radio Boy” Wawrzyniak, 23, appeared in DuPage County Circuit Court and entered his plea in front of Judge Michael Burke. He was on indicted on charges of indecent solicitation of a minor and attempted criminal sexual abuse.

Carol Stream police arrested Wawrzyniak on Jan. 5 after he allegedly arranged a meeting in the village with what he thought was a child but was actually an officer. Prior to his arrest, Wawrzyniak was working as a DJ at KISS 103.5-FM, but a spokesman for Clear Channel Radio-Chicago said he no longer works at the station.

Chicago Suburban

County warns of new fraud schemes

WINNEBAGO COUNTY -- The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department is warning residents of several fraud schemes in which people masquerade as representatives from utility companies and then ask for money.

Men and women have called homes in the county posing as utility employees and tell residents they are overdue on their monthly bills, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Department. During the charade, the caller warns residents that their utilities will be shut off unless they turn over their credit card numbers immediately.

Sheriff’s officials say residents should not hand out any personal information over the phone and that utility companies have not made these calls.

The Sheriff’s Department has also received reports of a similar scam in which a woman knocks on doors claiming her car is broken. She then asks for money to call a cab.

Anyone who believes they’ve spotted these scams or been a victim should call police and the utility company in their communities, officials say. Residents are warned to call police immediately if someone knocks on doors asking for money.

Rockford Register Star

Aviation university to offer classes in Rockford

ROCKFORD -- The world's largest fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace hopes to offer classes here by mid-year.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has applied to Illinois officials to set up a satellite campus in Rockford and expects to get approval by spring, said university trustee Ken Dufour, president of Aviation Management Consulting in Rockford.

Embry-Riddle plans to offer two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree here. It would join Northern Illinois University, which recently added a bachelor's degree in aviation management technology, and Rock Valley College, which has offered an associate's degree for almost 40 years. The three schools would work together so students could go from one to another and take classes while also working full time.

The school would also work with Chicago Rockford International Airport.

Rockford Register Star

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

McDonald’s manager wins prestigious award

WEST FRANKFORT -- Jeff Odle of West Frankfort has been named a 2007 recipient of the prestigious Ray Kroc Award, an annual, performance-based award that recognizes the top 1 percent of McDonald’s managers in the country. Named after McDonald’s corporate founder Ray Kroc, the award is given to managers who deliver superior results in selected areas of performance.

Recipients of the Ray Kroc Award receive a cash award, a Ray Kroc award trophy and pin and a March trip to Chicago for an awards gala.

“Our managers face the daily challenges of satisfying our customers, running great restaurants and staffing them with qualified people,” said John Moreland, who along with his wife, Mary, owns several area McDonald’s restaurants. “Moreover, our restaurant managers are critical to the success and future growth of our businesses.”

Odle has been with the Morelands for more than 25 years. He is a graduate of FCHS, and he and his wife, Jean Ann, live in West Frankfort.